What lessons can we learn from the perfume story based on John chapter 12 verses 1 to 11?
As I shared in my first article, the act of the woman from Bethany was not just a simple act of giving honor to Jesus but an act of worship. Not only the disciples and chief priests of Jesus' day had to learn this. Worship disorder is our natural inclination. Even the people of God can be guilty of it.
Jesus' Burial
In chapter 12 particularly verse 7, we are told that the perfume that Mary poured on Jesus' feet is part of the preparation for the day of his burial. This is exactly what happened in the closing part of the narrative in chapter 19 verses 38 to 42 where Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate to take the body of Jesus. With Nicodemus, Joseph wrapped the body of Jesus with the spices in strips of linen by Jewish burial customs.
In the first verse of chapter 12, we were told, that six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany. Bethany is the place where Lazarus lived. Lazarus was identified as a disciple whom Jesus had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared to honor Jesus for such a display of God’s resurrection power. In that dinner, a woman, named by John as Mary poured out an expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet. As a result, the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Ministry to the Poor
However, the disciples were not happy with what Mary did. They think her action was unnecessarily wasteful. The perfume could be utilized for a better purpose. Such purpose appears noble for it aims to serve the poor.
Even though the New Testament supports the practice of doing ministry to the poor. We learn in this particular incident that there is something more important than helping the poor. Mary’s action tells us that worshipping Jesus is far more important than doing service for the poor.
Economics played a big influence in the minds of Jesus' disciples. For them, it made economic sense to sell a very expensive perfume than to waste it. The disciples even used service to the poor as a justification for this sale. However, Jesus rebuked them.
Life is not all about economics. There is more important than economics and money. Or it is more appropriate to say, that Someone is more important than economics and money, and that is Jesus.
Nevertheless, Jesus was in no way discouraging ministry to the poor. Serving the poor is proper and biblical. But it must not be used as a replacement for sincere worship. Instead, service for the poor must spring from true worship. All religious activity including helping the poor and needy must rise from true worship.
Public Worship is Not a Waste of Resources
Even in the business world, the importance of spiritual capital and the role of a spiritual director is now increasingly recognized. The most recent example is an eyecare company that has been serving the people since 1968. Though they use a different name than the spiritual director, they realize that Bible study and prayer meetings reduce theft in their company. And so they decided to invite even volunteer seminarians to conduct spiritual activities like this in all their branches throughout the country.
Many people think that religion is a subtle form of business that wastes people's time and resources. That is not the case here in our story. We learn here that worshipping Jesus is not a waste of resources, but an act that pleases God.
A Year's Wage
In the gospel of Matthew, the disciple describes that the woman brought an alabaster jar of a very expensive perfume. In ancient times, alabaster was a special type of marble considered a highly prized possession of any woman. Mark adds that its value was “more than three hundred denarii” (14:5), nearly a year’s wage for an average worker on that day. Imagine, that perfume costs almost a year's wage of a common worker. No wonder, Matthew describes it as very expensive.
For us to have an idea of how much is the cost of that perfume in modern times, let us just use the minimum salary for laborers in the Philippines as well as in Israel.
In 2023, the monthly salary of a laborer in the Philippines was just 187 USD or 10,514 PHP. Multiply that by 12 and you will come up with 126,168.00 PHP.
In Israel, the monthly salary of a laborer is equivalent to 5,880 ILS (Israel New Shekel) or 91,000 PHP. Multiply that by 12, and you will come up with 1,092,000 PHP.
An Act of Worship
I don't know of any perfume that costs that much. The point is clear. Though the woman from Bethany may have highly valued her expensive perfume, she valued Jesus infinitely more. This shows that using an expensive perfume as an act of worship is not a waste. Yes, in the eyes of the world and the disciples, it might be a waste, but not for a worshipping heart like this woman. And Jesus saw her actions for what they were, true worship.
I am not sure how the disciples interpreted and judged the woman's motives. The most important thing is that the Lord entirely understood her heart. Jesus knew that the woman's gift was an act of worship. Through Jesus, she knew the forgiveness of God and His great love for her, and nothing could compare with that. This is precisely why she willingly and openly broke the seal of her jar and poured it out on Jesus' head and feet.
Likewise, as Jesus knew this woman's heart, God also knows our hearts. We do not have the right to misjudge anyone for God knows what is going on in our hearts. He knows every detail of our existence. Most importantly, He completely understands the thoughts and the intentions of our hearts. God knows if we are indeed real worshippers of Him or not.